Kenneth Okonkwo, former presidential spokesperson for the Labour Party, has warned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will cruise to re-election in 2027 unless Nigeria’s opposition leaders unite under a single coalition. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on April 28, 2025, Okonkwo declared that a fractured opposition guarantees a second term for the incumbent.
The veteran actor-turned-politician insisted that neither Atiku Abubakar nor Peter Obi—nor any other candidate—has the capacity to unseat Tinubu alone. He stated emphatically that without a merger similar to the 2014 APC alliance that toppled Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, the opposition is merely “making noise.”
Okonkwo argued that Nigeria’s political climate has deteriorated to the point where winning at the ballot box is not enough. “We’ve reached the stage where it’s not just about winning elections—you have to defend your victory,” he said, accusing the ruling party of weaponizing institutions to consolidate power.
His comments follow the defection of several high-profile opposition figures to the All Progressives Congress (APC), including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a move that has fueled fears of Nigeria drifting into a de facto one-party state.
Critics of the defections argue that political opportunism, rather than ideology, is driving the shift. Okonkwo said most politicians are joining the APC not out of loyalty, but because they believe the party will “write results” in their favor. “It’s absurd,” he said. “They’re running into a burning house hoping to find shelter.”
Political analysts have noted that the increasing number of defections, especially from the PDP and Labour Party, indicates a weakening opposition unable to build momentum ahead of the next general election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to release the full political realignment data for Q1 2025, but the trend points clearly to APC’s growing dominance.
Calls are growing louder across civil society and advocacy groups for genuine political reforms and electoral transparency before the 2027 elections. As Nigeria’s democracy faces an inflection point, Okonkwo’s warning may be the last call for opposition figures to set aside personal ambitions and form a unified front before time runs out.
